Three of the less travelled journeys through Patagonia

There are some many roads to travel through the Chilean Patagonia that makes it difficult to pick just one. There are thousands of beautiful, special and unique places, from those kinds you can only find here. Then, how to pick where to go? Well, if you are the adventurous kind who wants to reach further, get to know the most remote lands and live out of the world experiences, you’ve reached the right place.

In here we’ll tell you all about three journeys through Patagonia you can travel during your next visit to Chile, so you can get away from the most travelled routes and get into the more natural and authentic Chile.

Here we go!

Journeys thorough Patagonia: Puerto Williams and Cabo de hornos

Puerto Williams is the southest town in the world and just now is being known worldwide. Because of this, this is one of the most unknown journeys through Patagonia. But its native wildlife, its gorgeous landscapes, the pride of the presence of the last indigenous community, the Yagan, and the fact that is the stop for all people on their way to Antarctica, this town has not passed unnoticed for researchers and adventurous people.

From Puerto Williams you can start the southest trekking road of the world to Dientes del Navarino, a little bit south Puerto Williams. To do so, you must have a good physical condition and be well prepared because it can be hard for many. If you are one of those who prefer an historical journey through old colonial and indigenous settlements around, it’s ideal for learning more about the local culture on your journey through Patagonia. You can also enjoy quite horse ridings though the shores of the Canal del Beagle surrounded by beautiful landscapes. An unforgettable experience!

The fastest way to reach Puerto Williams is taking an aircraft of the DAP airline at the Punta Arenas Airport (code PUQ). The flight takes a little bit more than an hour and, since there’s only one flight per day for 19 passengers, you have to book your ticket in advance. The slowest way, but quite an adventure, is a ferry. From the Tres Puentes loading dock, in Punta Arenas, once a week a load and passenger’s ferry from the Austral Broom Company, it travels 28 hours to reach Puerto Williams. It’s a lot of time and the accommodations at the ferry are basic, but this is an experience you can’t have in any other place but your journeys through Patagonia.

Journeys through Patagonia: Tierra del Fuego

The island of Tierra del Fuego is at the southern end of Chile and you arrive crossing the Strait of Magellan. Stepping on Tierra del Fuego is like trespassing to another world, one in which wildlife owns the place. In here everything is at its (almost) natural state, paved roads haven’t arrived yet, guanacos and foxes roam through roads in total safety and everything there is it’s silence and peace. With no doubt, one of the most magical journeys through Patagonia you could experience.

Do you want to meet the King Penguin? In Tierra del Fuego lives the only King Penguin colony on Chilean land, which the second biggest of the world. The park is called Parque Pingüino Rey (King Penguin Park) and is located in Bahía Inútil. You can visit the park during the whole year but you must get into their website and book your visit because when there’s too many people, the entrance gets limited to protect the penguins.

The closest airport to Tierra del Fuego is the Punta Arenas one (code PUQ); it has daily flights from Santiago and Puerto Montt. But to arrive to Tierra del Fuego and travel around, you’ll need a vehicle, as you’ll need for many other journeys through Patagonia. Either you rent a car or take an organized tour from Punta Arenas; you have to cross the Strait of Magellan. You have two roads: From the airport itself until Porvenir or from Punta Delgada towards Bahía Azul, through a crossing called Primera Angostura. The first road takes close to two and a half hours and has only two daily departures. On the other hand, the second road has many daily departures and the crossing only takes 30 minutes.

To get the full experience, we recommend these journeys through Patagonia independently, this way you’ll have the liberty to choose your journey road. The best is to arrive to Tierra del Fuego through the Strait of Magellan (It’s beautiful!) and come back at night through the Primera Angostura crossing. Otherwise, you can only stay at Tierra del Fuego until midday.

Journeys through Patagonia: Caleta Tortel and Villa O’Higgins

Caleta Tortel is a small town in the Chilean Patagonia located on a zone so remote that, for many years, was left out from the journeys through Patagonia. But its beauty ended up charming travelers that already have started to arrive there. It’s the wooden architecture you see at Caleta Tortel that is totally unique, because it seems all town floats over the sea. The houses are built over palafitos and are connected to each other for almost 10 km of cypress wood walkways. Even the streets are wooden walkways! From the Cerro Tortel viewpoint you can see the whole town, its nature, the Baker river mouth and the Mitchell fjord.

The closest airport to Caleta Tortel is in Balmaceda (code BBA) 430 kms north. The best is for you to rent an all terrain vehicle in advance so you can pick it up in Balmaceda when you arrive. The journeys through Patagonia are taking the Carretera Austral, whose roads are not paved. The access to Caleta Tortel is by the last part of the Carretera Austral, taking a detour for close to 20 kms west before arriving Puerto Yungay. If you want to make this journey by bus, you can do it, but you must know you’ll have to take several buses and not all of them departure every day of the week.

And since you’ll already be travelling part of the Carretera Austral to reach Caleta Tortel, why no go to other places equally fantastic and complement your journey through Patagonia? Between Balmaceda and Caleta Tortel you can visit the Cerro Castillo Nation al Reservoir, the Puerto Río Tranquilo town, the skirts of the General Carrera Lake and its Marble Churches and Cochrane. Or also you could reach Villa O’Higgins at the end of the Carretera Austral, at 150 kms south (this could mean 6 hours of travel). In here you can practice many sport in nature.

Now that you know more adventures you can live in Chile, which one will be your next journey through Patagonia?